by Erik Ritland
Rambling On is a seriously fun blog and podcast covering sports, music, culture, and more. Check us out on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, or at our website.
Nothing says summer quite like the Minnesota Street Rod Association’s Back to the 50s weekend at the State Fairgrounds. Seminal ‘50s rock n’ roll rides along a warm breeze, friendly people who are happy to be there smile as you walk by them, fried food provides its euphoric aroma, and the sun shines on some of the coolest cars ever created. This year the event was held June 19-21 which was, fittingly, the nicest weekend of the summer so far.
On Saturday a gorgeous day of gawking at the scenery (and eating plenty of corn dogs and footlongs) culminated in a wonderful performance by legendary Minnesota’s garage rockers The Trashmen. They proved throughout their set that rock n’ roll never dies. The highlight, of course, was their signature tune “Surfin’ Bird.” I also thoroughly enjoyed their takes on country classic “White Lightening” and iconic surf tune “Bucket T.”
Another highlight of the event is Sunday's swap meet. Every year I find something good, whether it’s an old copy of a book, a few albums, or a conversation piece for my living room or recording studio. This year I picked up one of my favorite finds yet: an album with the Fonz from Happy Days on the cover. Although I got it just for that it also features essential ‘50s tracks and even a special song that has Henry Winkler saying all the classic Fonzy lines. A treasure for sure.